Microsoft Copilot is being updated with OpenAI’s latest model ‘GPT-4o’ for a new line of PCs called Copilot+ PCs.
GPT-4o (the ‘o’ is for ‘omni’) enables people to interact via voice, video, and text within the same model, like a much more powerful Alexa.
Combined with Copilot, users will have access to more accurate answers and text generation. They can also use the GPT to leverage app functions, such as opening apps and editing photos.
Copilot+ will even be able to add what the user is viewing on-screen into its contextual understanding, helping to make communication with the AI assistant even more natural.
Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, introduced the Copilot+ PCs in his keynote speech at a Windows event at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington, on Monday: “The richest AI experiences will harness the power of the cloud and the edge working together in concert.
“This, in turn, will lead to a new category of devices that turn the world itself into a prompt.
“Devices that can instantly see us, hear, reason about our intent and our surroundings.
“For us, this vision starts with our most beloved and most widely used canvas: Windows.
It is why we are introducing an entirely new class of Windows PCs engineering to unleash the power of distributed AI across the edge and cloud. We call this new category ‘Copilot+ PCs’.”
The Copilot+ PCs have been branded ‘AI PCs’ and will run the latest version of Windows 11 and Copilot’s AI software. Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s Executive Vice President and Consumer Chief Marketing Officer, anticipates the company will sell more than 50 million AI PCs over the next year.
GPT-4o Meets Copilot
To help showcase the capabilities of Copilot’s GPT-4o integration, Microsoft played a pre-recorded demonstration of the technology being used while playing the game Minecraft.
The user asked Copilot how to craft a sword, and because the AI assistant could see what he was doing in the game, it could give him step-by-step instructions for creating one.
Microsoft plans to share its newest version, Copilot, within its partner ecosystem, which will include major over-the-top providers (OTPs), such as AMD, Intel, Qualcomm, Acer, ASUS, Dell Technologies, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft Surface, and Samsung.
Nadella reinforced its decision to work alongside its partner network to bring GPt-4o-powered Copilot+ to market: “Whenever you think about a platform like Windows it really comes down to rethinking the core architecture of the PC across silicon, systems, and the end-user experience. That’s what we’ve done.
“We are introducing new state of the art AI models running locally and continuously to reason over your data from text to the pixels.
“To make this possible we are introducing a new system on chip. We are also modernising the entire operating system to unleash the power of the SOC and deliver these next generation applications, models, and experiences that are simply just not possible on today’s PCs.
The result is the fastest, most AI-ready Windows PC ever built and just like we have always done with Windows, we are taking a partner-first approach to bring Copilot+ PCs to life.”
Microsoft is evidently looking to turn new technological advancements into product format to compete with its major rivals, Apple and Google.
In fact, the tech giant took some swings at Apple during the Windows event yesterday, highlighting the Copilot+ PCs’ performance advantages over comparable Apple devices.
Apple is expected to announce the debut of many of its own AI features across its product lines in a few weeks.
